February 1, 2015

1) I suggest that you warm up your voice – low and high notes daily. Get used to making plenty of sound in both registers.

2) Then really go about the house singing ordinary conversation. Let your voice go high and low, but realize that mostly we sing in our talking range which is a balance between those two registers.

3) Diction! Diction! Diction! I doubt you will reach a point where someone will say, “That is too much.”

4) Open your mouth and move your lips. Not only will that let the sound out and improve your diction, it also will look like you are doing something. You don’t want to be a ventriloquist on stage.

5) Move around the house as you sing – it will be more than your blocking will be in the show, but if your body is free and relaxed, you will sing more easily and the muscle memory will carry over when you are standing still.

6) Don’t fret too much about which register any particular note is in. If it is a full sound and in tune, it won’t matter if it is in head voice, chest voice or something in between. Sing your songs often so your voice gets used to switching registers.

7) Become your character. The audience won’t remember how any particular notes sounded if they believe you are your character.